Here's the story of our precious Litter Q...

Abbie (Mom) and 8 puppies, including: Adam (M), Amber (F), Angie (F), Katherine (F), Lizzie (F), Rebecca (F), Ronnie (M), Thomas (M)

In mid-October, 2024, we were asked to help rescue a mom named Abbie, and her eight puppies. The pups were less than 7 weeks old, with mom herself, a young dog of roughly 1.5 years. The entire family was living in very poor conditions and had been negatively impacted by Hurricane Helene.

We worked with a local rescue to transport this family to Doglando. Upon their arrival, Abbie and her pups were given a few hours to get familiar with their new home at Doglando, giving them access to sniff and wander throughout the den yard and inside the den as a way to help them ease their anxiety levels.

Early in the evening, the volunteer team at Doglando bathed each dog, one-by-one, using gentle shampoo on their skin and fur, cleaning their ears, clipping their nails, and cuddling them throughout the process.

The team then moved on to settling the dogs into their den and preparing them for bedtime. The volunteers spent time cradling the pups, massaging them and stroking them as a first pass at what would become more than 8 weeks in the human/dog bonding process at Doglando.

As the dogs settled in at Doglando, we focused on nutrition and ensuring that both pups and Mom were given optimal food and supplements to help them increase their overall health and well-being.

Over the last 7 weeks with this family, we’ve spent time caring for them using a dedicated volunteer care team. The volunteers support this family on a daily basis and provide them with a loving and caring hand, working hard to build their trust and love for humans. Some of the interactions with these dogs include human touch, cradling while feeding yogurt, running and playing with both our volunteer adults and their children.

In addition to our volunteers spending time with this family on weekdays, momma Abbie and her pups engage in enrichment activities at Doglando. During enrichment, our dogs are introduced to Nature Play and the adult dogs who attend enrichment on a regular basis, presenting us with an opportunity to help Abbie and her family to learn how to interact and assimilate with other dogs -- many of whom serve as mentors and teaching dogs.

Also, during enrichment, our dogs begin basic training exercises. Momma and all of her pups also have an opportunity to learn how to swim while attending enrichment days.

Abbie and her pups are up for adoption!

Click through each photograph below to see more about Abbie and her puppies.